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Scam calls and robo calls may end permanently next year

Soon, scam calls and robocalls could become a thing of the past. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is pushing US telecom operators to adapt a new technology to block scam and robocalls. The proposed technology would work similar to fingerprint authentication for telemarketing and other unwanted calls.

The proposed technology is called STIR and SHAKEN. STIR is a short form of Secure Telephony Identity Revisited. SHAKEN is an abbreviation for Secure Handling of Asserted information using toKENs.

Under this technology, once a person places a call connecting request to his operator, the telecom operator would check the authenticity of the caller. It would then inform the connecting service provider using an authentication code. Later, the receiving service provider would check its authenticity through a verification service. This independent verification service would then provide final certification of the caller’s authenticity.

As all of this procedure would operate electronically, it would be completed within seconds.

Collaboration between Telecom Operators is Essential

Various telecom operators have already announced their own plans to take on telemarketers. Verizon announced in March that it will provide a free app for its users to filter out unwanted calls. Verizon’s announcement is in line with T-Mobile and AT&T, which have provided users various filtering features.

However, these features may not be enough to stop the menace of annoying calls. First Orion, a company providing data solution to telecom companies says it’s anticipating more fraudulent calls in 2019. The company expects at least half of all calls in 2019 to be fraudulent. In order to authenticate all calls, it would be essential for all telecom operators to collaborate.

The good news is T-mobile is already offering STIR and SHAKEN technology to its users. FCC continues to push other carriers to adapt the technology at the earliest.

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